


I'll Be Home For Christmas

by CabbageOriley



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Christmas Tree, Everyone else is on Vacation, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Time, M/M, Spending Time Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 19:51:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5468846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CabbageOriley/pseuds/CabbageOriley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the entire pack is away on vacation, Stiles decides to spend Christmas with Derek whether he likes it or not.  Turns out he likes it... a lot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Be Home For Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I've had the idea for this fic for such a long time but never got around to writing it. Comments and positive feedback are much appreciated. Merry Christmas, everyone!!!!

“This sucks!” Stiles shouts to the heavens as he leans back in his desk chair. He is home alone, and it is a week before Christmas. The entire Pack is out of town for the holidays. The Sheriff and Melissa are on honeymoon in Hawaii. Scott and Allison are taking their little pup to Disney World for Christmas. Lydia and Jackson are in Paris. Boyd and Erica are in Colorado. Isaac is visiting Cora in South America.  
At first, Stiles thought he’d be fine. He would get some alone time and some ALONE time (if you’re picking up what he’s putting down). But, everyone has only been gone for one whole day, and he is about ready to go insane already.  
He doesn’t know why he does it- has absolutely no idea, but, as he looks around his empty house, he throws five boxes of decorative Christmas lights in his Jeep and drives away. When he gets to the Hale House, he pulls out a box of lights and a staple gun and gets to work.

Derek pulls up in his driveway to see his house set ablaze with twinkling Christmas lights. He grits his teeth and stomps inside. “What the …” he looks around the room. “STILES!” he growls.  
“Ho, ho, ho!” Stiles shouts as he runs into the front living room. He has fake reindeer antlers and a blinking red ball on his nose.  
“What do you think you’re doing?!”  
“Decorating this dreary abode for Christmas!”  
“Why?” Derek huffs.  
Stiles sighs, “Because I’m alone. You’re alone. This Christmas we’re going to be alone together.”  
“Why would you want to spend Christmas with me?” Derek’s eyebrows furrow in confusion.  
“Were you not listening? I’m alone. You’re alone. No one deserves to be alone on Christmas.”  
“Not even me?”  
“Not even you, Grumpy Wolf.” Stiles grins at the reaction he gets from his choice of endearment.  
Derek heaves a put upon sigh. “I guess you can stay.”  
He barks out a laugh. “Good, cuz I wasn’t planning on leaving.” Stiles puts his hands on his hips. “Derek- very important question here…” His nose blinks on and off a few times as he pauses for dramatic effect. “Do you have a saw?”  
“Uh, yes?”  
“Great!” He throws on a plaid fleece coat. “I’m going out to get some greenery. I need you to find the last ounce of Christmas spirit hiding deep down in your little wolfy soul and go get us a tree.” Stiles nods happily after giving his orders and disappears out into the woods.  
He comes back an hour later, arms overflowing with fresh pine greenery he has cut down from the Preserve. He is shocked to see dirt clods scattered all over the front porch. A large fir tree is propped up against the door- roots and all.  
“Derek? Who sold you this?” Stiles waves his arms up and down motioning to the so-called Christmas tree. “They didn’t even cut all the trunk and roots off!”  
Derek looks up from his book. “I didn’t buy it.”  
“You stole it? You stole a CHRISTMAS tree! I can’t believe you, well actually maybe I can. But, Der, SERIOUSLY!!!! You stole it?!”  
“No,” he growls. This squirmy, screaming, kid (“I’m 22, Derek- totally an adult.”) is giving him a tension headache already. “Why would I go into town to buy a tree when there are hundreds growing right outside my door?” He lifts his shoulders in a motion that says ‘isn’t it the obvious choice?’.  
“So… hold on a second.” Stiles holds up his hands and swivels back and forth between the werewolf and the tree. “You went out and quite literally ripped a tree out of the earth with your mighty he-man strength?”  
“Yes.” Again, isn’t it obvious?  
“Why couldn’t you have whacked it down like a normal person?!”  
“You had my saw.”  
Stiles’ eyes bug out a bit.  
“Still sure you want to spend Christmas with me?” Derek asks.  
The jerk… Stiles clenches his jaw. “Yes.”

In the end, Stiles makes Derek cut the roots off and set the tree up in a bucket. (“It’s a rustic tree stand, Derek.” “It’s a bucket, Stiles.”) Stiles spreads out his pine clippings and supplies he’ll need to make a wreath. All the directions were on Pinterest; how hard could it be? Two hours later, he is covered in sticky sap, the wreath looks like it’s been dead for five months, and Derek is snickering in the corner of the kitchen.  
“I can still hear you, you butthole! A refrigerator does not a sound barrier make.”  
“Thank you, Mr. Spock.”  
“It’s Yoda! And that wasn’t even something he’d say…” Stiles groans as if his very soul aches.  
Derek leans against the doorframe. “You could have just gone and bought one. You know that, right?”  
“Says the man who manhandled a seven foot tree out of the ground just because he could.” Stiles crosses his arms over his chest and stomps his foot.  
“Sehs the men wher mernherndled a sedehedefefenherdle.” Derek mocks like a child. “I’ll show you manhandling, you twerp!”  
In an instant Derek has lunged forward and knocked Stiles off balance. A soft “oompfh” is knocked out of Stiles before he retaliates. Stiles kicks Derek in the shin and starts to climb over his shoulder. Derek grabs hold of Stiles’ waist and marches him back until he is pressed against the wall.  
The werewolf growls, and their eyes meet. Stiles’ cheeks flush with warm color, and he quickly looks away. Derek’s attention is drawn to the young man’s lip as he nervously bites at it. Stiles rocks his hips in a soft circle as he tries to get out of Derek’s grip. He huffs when he realizes he is locked firmly in place.  
“Yeah, yeah, you’re stronger than me; I get it.” Stiles clears his thick throat and finally meets Derek’s eyes again. He cocks his head to the side and breaks out into a grin. “Did you seriously just say ‘sedehedefefenherdle’ while you were attempting to mock me?”  
It’s Derek’s turn to blush. He lets go of Stiles and turns away from him. Stiles barks out a sharp laugh that turns into a fit of giggles. “You’re an idiot.”  
“So, big buy… How are we going to decorate it?” Stiles turns and looks at the tree.  
“Does it look like I have any tinsel?”  
Stiles hums sadly. He can’t stand the thought of using his Mom’s ornaments without either of his parents there. “We’ll… We’ll make our own.”

\---------  
“TADA!!!!!!!!!!!” Stiles swings his arms open wide in triumph. “Dude, it looks amazing.”  
Derek’s pretty proud of the tree, too. The tree is covered in ornaments painted to look like dragon eggs and family crests. A plastic sword from the dollar store is stabbed into the side of the branches. Bright blue lights wind around the tree, and there is a garland made out of yellow and black Batman ribbon. Nesting at the tippity-top is a large plush dragon wearing a black Batman mask.  
“Holy cow. This is the best tree I’ve ever seen.” Stiles grins and wraps his arm around Derek’s shoulder.  
Derek nods. “Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.”  
“But,” Stiles bites his thumb nail and squints his eyes, “there’s something missing.” He walks around the tree and taps his foot. He claps his hands together and spins on his heel. “I’ll be back, Sourwolf.”  
Stiles grabs his keys and strolls out of the house and to his Jeep.  
-  
When Derek wakes up, it is to the sounds of pots and pans crashing around in the kitchen. He groans and gets out of bed. He throws on a pair of sweats and pads into the living room. He can see a small package resting softly on the black cape they used as a tree skirt. He smiles softly when he sees his name written on it. He hides his emotions as he walks into the kitchen.  
“When you said you were spending Christmas with me, I thought you meant Christmas DAY. I didn’t know you meant you were moving in for a week. You do know Christmas isn’t for another week, right?”  
“Why, did you want me to stay longer?” Stiles licks the pancake batter off of the purple silicone spatula.  
Derek points at it, “Not if you go and give yourself salmonella.”  
Stiles freezes, taken back by Derek’s answer. It almost sounded like he would be okay with Stiles staying there. He feels red heat creeping up his neck, and he turns away and focuses intently on the stove. He shakes the pan and grabs the spatula to flip his golden brown creations. “How many do you want?”  
Derek walks to the refrigerator and pulls out some milk and orange juice. “How many do you have?”  
“Six.”  
“You good with three?”  
Stiles nods. “S’good with me.” He flips the last cake out onto a plate.  
“Did you leave any eggs?”  
“Yeah, you had like, five dozen in there.”  
Derek pulls out a clean pan and starts to heat it up on the stove. He reaches around Stiles to grab a whisk. Stiles moans when their arms brush. The easy way it slips out startles him. He flushes full on pomegranate and jerks away. He stares at Derek’s concerned eyes. “I… I’ll be back.”  
He places his pan in the sink and scurries off into the bathroom. Cold water on his wrists and face helps to clear his head just a little bit. This is crazy. Of course he’s had a major crush on Derek since forever, but he needs to snap out of it.

\----  
After breakfast, Stiles glances under the tree. Only one present. Insert sad face here. Oh well… He grabs his shoes and starts to head to the door.  
“Where are you going now?” Derek groans from his spot on the couch.  
“Eugh, Der-bear, just keep reading your beloved book.” Stiles zips up his jacket. “I need to go try to fix that pathetic wreath from yesterday.”  
“It was okay, I guess.”  
“Yeah right. It’s ugly. But, I have an idea. I’ll be back.”  
Derek drops his head back on the couch. “Darn it.”  
“Hardy har-har. You know you love me.” Stiles ignores the rolled eyes he receives and bounces down the front steps. He gathers up a few Christmas balls (some orange and blue are the only ones left) and a string of bulbs. Some wire will help hold the branches up. A can of fake snow puts on the finishing touches. He hangs the circle of greenery on the front door and makes sure it is straight. He runs his fingers over the pair of ornaments nestled in the center and considers writing his and Derek’s initials on them. Maybe not the best idea. He takes a step back and admires his work. Much better than last night.  
He bounds back in the house, kicking off his shoes as he goes. He flops down on the couch, making Derek bob up and down. The wolf growls at him.  
“Wanna watch a movie?”  
“I’m reading.”  
“When will you finish? It looks like you’re almost done with your book.”  
“I have a whole library.”  
Stiles rolls his eyes. “You’re weird.”  
“You’re the one that has taken over a random guy’s house.”  
“You’re not random. You’re my friend. You’re pack. I’m pack, right?”  
Derek pinches his nose and closes his book. “What movie did you have in mind?”  
Stiles crows in triumph. “Yeah, baby. I win. Hand ova your computa! Netflix, here we come.”  
“What have I done?”

\--  
Five hours, two and a half Star Wars movies, and two large pizzas later, Derek and Stiles are both half asleep on the couch. The lights of the tree cast a soft light on the wall of the living room, and the colors of light sabers cast a warm glow on the two friends’ faces.  
“Oh crap!” Stiles shouts and accidentally elbows Derek in the side. Derek wolfs out from the sheer panic of the outburst.  
“What’s wrong?”  
“That was my favorite part, and I was falling asleep. I missed it. Now I need to rewind.”  
Derek forces his claws to retract. It used to be painful to feel the skin pinch and seal closed, but he’s used to it now. “You’ve seen it before.”  
“Yah, I know…” Stiles yawns and rubs a hand over his face. He turns his watch and looks at how late it is. “Dude, it’s crazy late.” He pauses the movie and closes the laptop. Stretching his arms, Stiles pulls himself off the couch and starts getting his things gathered up.  
“Where are you going?” Derek shifts on the couch and watches Stiles’ movements.  
“Home.”  
“You’re not serious.”  
“Did you really expect me to stay here for the full week leading up to Christmas?”  
“I was hoping not,” Derek laughs, “but it’s 11:30 and you’ve just woken up from a movie coma. You don’t need to be driving.”  
“Well, I’m not walking home.”  
“You’re not going anywhere. My couch is available for the night-- minimal charge.”  
“Minimal charge? Really? And, what do you mean by that?”  
“You can pay me back with more pancakes in the morning.”  
Stiles nods. “Okay.”

 

Stiles sleeps at Derek’s house for the second night in a row, and it’s not weird at all. Stiles makes and eats breakfast at Derek’s house for the second morning in the row, and it’s not weird at all. Stiles vacuums up the floor where he spilled a whole bowl of Cheerios, and it’s not weird at all. Stiles eats a sandwich Derek made for him, and it’s not weird at all. Stiles looks under the tree and finds only one gift, and even though it stinks of course it’s not weird at all. Stiles and Derek watch the other half of the Star Wars series while pressed up against each other on the couch in a totally ‘we’re just friends’ way, and it’s not weird at all. Derek lets his guard down enough to accidentally fall asleep on Stiles’ shoulder and… yep, that’s totally weird.

\--

“What’s for dinner?”  
Stiles groans. “As much as I hate to say it, I’m tired of pizza.”  
“The Chinese place down on 8th street is pretty good.”  
“Pretty good? No, they’re amazing,” Stiles smacks his lips at just the thought of the delicious food. Then he slumps back against the couch in defeat. “But, they don’t deliver.”  
“So?” Derek grabs his leather jacket. “We’re not under house arrest, are we?”  
“No?” Stiles slowly stands up and grabs his jacket. He rushes out the door to catch up.

\--  
“Awwwwww, Dude. I just got a pic of Madelyne at Disney.” Stiles leans over the back of the couch to show Derek the picture Scott sent him.  
Derek smiles a genuine smile. “She’s adorable.”  
Stiles types out a quick message- “Derek says she’s adorable, and I totally agree. Hope you guys are having an awesome time.”  
Stiles doesn’t realize it, but whenever he receives a text from someone in the pack, he always mentions Derek. Every single time.  
\--  
Day four… still only one present. Stiles pouts as he looks under the tree for the bazillionth time. As Derek sees his countenance fall, he feels almost bad about not putting something under the tree. Darn his slowly growing Grinchy heart.  
“So,” Derek starts and then has to clear his throat. “So, what does one do after finishing all of Star Wars?”  
Stiles’ foot twitches where he has it hanging over the back of the couch. Upside down, he lifts his head up off the floor- tearing his gaze away from the sad excuse for holiday cheer under the tree. He waits for the blood to start flowing through his head and body normally again. “One does not simply finish all of Star Wars. There are comics and the tv series and fan theories…”  
“I mean the original set of films.”  
“Yeah, whatever. Um… what are you in the mood for?”  
“You…” Derek tries not to blush at his slip of tongue. “I… You choose.”  
Stiles seems not to have noticed the mortifying comment. “I chose the Wars. You should choose next. I mean, if you really want to keep doing stuff with me.”  
“I do.”  
The young boy grins from ear to ear. He immediately shakes his head to try to shake the feelings away. Bro-chilling for close to five days straight, sharing meals, sharing CLOTHES totally does not mean that Derek feels anything romantic toward him. It’s not good to get your hopes up…  
Once the popcorn is finished, Stiles scoots over on the couch right by Derek. “What did you decide on?”  
“You’ll see.”  
The opening credits roll, and Stiles is completely shocked. He turns his head to the right and stares at his favorite Sourwolf. “Miracle on 34th Street? Really?”  
“Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve… What did you expect?”  
Stiles laughs. “Something other than this.” He shakes his head. “And this is the new old one not the old old one.”  
“The new one is better.”  
“But the old one is a classic.”  
“The new one is a classic now, too. It’s just not Christmas until you’ve watched it.” Derek pauses the movie because he is just sure Stiles is going to keep talking. And he does.  
“It’s not Christmas until you’ve watched Christmas Vacation.”  
“Never seen it.”  
“You… You’ve N.E.V.E.R. seen Christmas Vacation? Chevy Chase, Cousin Eddie, Squirrel!, the scorched cat?!?!”  
“The scorched what?” Derek shakes his head. “You know what? Nevermind. It’s not Christmas until you’ve watched A Christmas Story.”  
“Never seen it.”  
Derek rolls his eyes. His voice drips with sarcasm. “You… You’ve N.E.V.E.R. seen A Christmas Story? Bunny Suit, You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, the Leg Lamp?!?!”  
“The leg what?” Stiles laughs. “You gotta see The Grinch every year. Jim Carrey is my spirit animal.”  
“You have to see It’s a Wonderful Life.”  
“You have to see Elf.”  
“You have to see Rudolph.”  
Seven movies, four buckets of popcorn, two short naps, and a stack of pancakes later, Derek and Stiles have finished their Christmas Classics movie marathon. And, it’s not even noon on Christmas Eve. Stiles turns to look at Derek.  
“Any other movies on your must list?”  
“Nope, I think we hit them all.”  
“Good, cuz I’m exhausted.” Stiles yawns and stretches his arms, back, and neck.  
Derek’s eyes scan over the pale, mole speckled flesh.  
Stiles raises up and looks at him questioningly. Derek looks, dare he say it, bashful. His eyes are looking up from beneath his eyelashes and his cheeks are hot pink. “Derek?”  
“Do you want to go to bed?”  
Stiles jerks away from Derek. “Like… bed-bed or BED-bed. Like… to sleep or to… what do you mean?”  
Derek deflates. “Forget it.”  
Oh no, he’s shutting down- just like he always does. “No, Derek. I’m not forgetting it. I just want to make sure I fully understand what you’re asking because I don’t want to take it the wrong way and get crushed. Not on Christmas. Not ever really, but you know getting your heart broken on the holidays is so much worse- or so I’ve heard because I really don’t have much… any experience with any kind of relationship. Not that this is a relationship, because, you know, you still haven’t answered my question about what you were really meaning when you asked me if I wanted to go to bed. I’m still kind of wondering… no, really wondering if you meant like bed-bed or BED-bed. And, oh dear goodness you need to stop me already because I’m rambling and I really can’t stop but I really need to because if someone out there were sitting down trying to transcribe what I’m saying it would totally be one really really really run on sentence and wouldn’t that just be awful… Some grammar nazi trying their best to write what I’m saying but inwardly they’re dying because of the lack of punctuation. But, none of that’s happening because it’s just me and you sitting in your house… where I’ve been for the last five days and I’m seriously in need of clean clothes but I’ve just been wearing yours instead and for some crazy reason you’re okay with that… You’re just so… EUMPH!!!!”  
Stiles finally stops talking as Derek’s lips crash into his. It takes a minute for his brain to reboot. His seriously de-railed thought train reroutes and is fully focused on “oh holy crap his lips are on my lips.”  
Stiles leans forward and tentatively reaches up to rest his hand on Derek’s cheek. Derek, in turn, runs his hand up around the back of Stiles head to fix him in place. He lets his other hand roam around Stiles’ back.  
The young man’s heart pounds in his chest in excitement. His body feels like it is shaking all over. He is so EAGER! This is really happening.  
Derek finally pulls back, and Stiles pulls in a shaky breath. Derek swallows. “I meant BED-bed. But, not like sex-bed unless you… Unless you…”  
Stiles literally bites his lip to keep from squealing. A man about to have sex for the first time certainly does not squeal. “I, um… yes. Yes. Bed. Sex-bed. Bed sex. I mean… BED-bed, sex-bed.” His face is now beet red. Why must his mouth keep talking? “Shut me up. Smack me. Please. Oh wow, you could totally take that whole statement in a dirty direction. I like dirty directions…”  
Derek just smiles and picks him up. For once, Stiles doesn’t mind being completely manhandled.

 

\-----

Stiles wakes up to the early afternoon sunlight gleaming into his eyes. He stretches where he is sprawled out on Derek’s bed. Speaking of Derek… Stiles sits up with a jolt and swivels his head about the room. “Derek?”  
He stands up and throws on a pair of underwear. He softly pads into the next room. Finding Derek gently snoring on the sofa, he makes his way over and sits down.  
Derek is immediately awake and pretending like he wasn’t asleep. He looks at Stiles. “Good morning.”  
“Good afternoon.” Stiles bites his lip. He glances back toward the bedroom and sighs. “Did I, um… Did I do something wrong?” He finally sets his eyes back on his favorite Sourwolf.  
“What? No. What do you mean?”  
Stiles swallows and forces the words out. “I mean… We just had epic, mind-blowing sex. Well, at least it was for me.” His face flushes red again. Without a shirt, Derek can see the blush making it’s way down Stiles’ neck and onto the skin near his collar-bone. Stiles can feel the wolf’s eyes on him and is suddenly very self-conscious about his shirtless-ness. He crosses his arms and looks away from Derek, feeling like his eyes are getting watery. He doesn’t want to be the weepy, needy boyfriend… But, he just doesn’t have the confidence he needs to… not be weepy and needy. It was his first time, and he wants… He wants Derek to love him.  
Of course Derek notices, but he doesn’t say anything about it. He slides a small wrapped gift behind the arm of the couch before Stiles can see it. Then, he leans over and crowds Stiles into the opposite corner. He hovers over him and gently presses his lips against Stiles’ right collarbone. The soft, rosy skin heats up even more. The wolf lovingly makes his way up Stiles’ neck, stopping every so often to suck on a particularly appealing spot.  
He loves the sounds it pulls from Stiles’ parted lips. He wants to kiss them forever. For now, he licks a small area underneath the boy’s chin and kisses it.  
Stiles flinches and pulls his head down- hiding his neck. He smiles. “It tickles…”  
“Shhh…” Derek reprimands. “Stop talking.” He goes back to licking and sucking the mole dotted skin.  
Again, Stiles giggles softly. “Der…” He tries to tuck his head down to hide the sensitive areas from the man. “Kiss my lips instead.”  
“I like kissing your neck.”  
“I like it too, but…” Stiles snickers and tries to get his neck away. “It’s starting to tickle.”  
Derek huffs in discontentment, and even the puff of air against Stiles’ sensitive skin causes him to guffaw. This is ridiculous. Stiles is ridiculous. He sniffs along Stiles’ jaw and grazes his hands up and down Stiles’ sides. He lets his fingers softly linger on the skin.  
“No.” Stiles’ sides uncontrollably contract. He bites his lip, but the laugh escapes just the same. “Ah! No!” He bucks his hips up against Derek’s bulk, but nothing works.  
“Stop squirming,” Derek mumbles, pretending to be oblivious to what he is doing. “I’m just trying to kiss you.”  
“No, you’re not.” Stiles shakes his head and wriggles about. He shifts his arms up to try to get leverage and suddenly Derek’s fingers are there too. Wiggling fingers and Stiles’ underarms do not mix. “Bwaha! Derek, no! Stop! Ha! Hahaha!”  
Stiles shimmies his body all around, but he can’t get away. Derek finds his way to a particularly sensitive spot, and Stiles swears he doesn’t mean to do it. He really doesn’t… It’s just a reflex… His leg springs forward and into Derek’s oh so special area. With an “oomph”, Derek has stopped, and rolled off the couch and onto the floor in pain.  
Stiles slides and ends up right beside him. The boy takes in a shaky breath, trying to stabilize his breathing. He continues to laugh just a bit, but he is regaining composure. “Serves you right.”  
Derek raises up on one arm and looks at Stiles. “I love your laugh. I love it when you’re happy. You need to always be happy.”  
“So do you.”  
“You make me happy.” Derek leans down and kisses Stiles… on the lips this time.

 

\----

Stiles looks under the tree again and still doesn’t find a gift with his name on it. This is totally unfair. You’d think your boyfriend would get you a gift on your first Christmas together… That’s just the right thing to do… But then again, the whole boyfriend thing was a very recent development…  
Around eight o’clock, Derek and Stiles make homemade cookies for Santa. Okay, okay, they’re for themselves… They eat the entire batch while they’re still warm. Christmas Vacation is playing on TV, so they watch it even though they just watched it the night before. Stiles was right, it’s a classic. They snuggle and cuddle on the couch until they fall asleep.

 

\---

Christmas morning. Eight a.m. Stiles wakes up to Derek staring at him. They kiss.  
Stiles smiles. “Wake up kisses are awesome.”  
“Merry Christmas, Stiles.”  
“Merry Christmas!”  
Derek smiles so brightly. “Thank you for decorating my house. This… everything you’ve done… everything we’ve… become… It’s the best Christmas gift ever.”  
“I love you, Derek.” It slips out before Stiles can even think about it. He’s about to apologize for moving way too fast when he feels Derek’s lips on his own.  
“I love you, too.”  
They make out for a while, but then Stiles pushes him away. “I have a real, tangible gift for you.” He pulls away and bounces over to the tree. Before he reaches down, he sees it. It’s simple and poorly wrapped, but it’s beautiful because it has HIS name on it. He turns around only to find Derek standing right behind him. “Thank you!” He squeals and jumps into Derek’s arms. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”  
Derek snorts. “You haven’t even opened it yet.”  
“Whatever it is, I love it. It’s perfect. I love you!”  
“Do you love me enough to let me open my gift first?”  
Stiles pretends to think about it. “Sure…”  
He sits down by the base of the tree, and Derek follows suit. Stiles hands Derek his gift. Derek laughs when he opens it and sees it is a plush wolf. It’s not just like a cheap toy, though. It is made of really good quality materials- one of those toys kids beg their parents for but rarely get because who in their right mind is going to spend that much on a stuffed animal.  
Then it’s Stiles turn to open. Derek nervously hands him the gift. Stiles takes the time to really look at it. Other than being poorly wrapped, the wrapping paper itself looks worn and tattered. It’s almost like he got the paper second hand at a thrift store for a nickel. Stiles feels like it could fall into a million pieces at any moment. The tape even looks yellowed and ready to crinkle up and fall off.  
Stiles looks at Derek questioningly. “Just open it.”  
Stiles peels back the smashed bow, and he was right. The paper literally starts to disintegrate in his hands. He’s starting to get nervous about this whole situation. He gently pulls the card open and reads Derek’s simple message. “‘To Stiles From Derek’. How romantic, babe.”  
He turns the card over and sees the date on the back. His head jerks up, and he looks Derek in the eyes. “This isn’t new. How… how long have you had this? Two thousand twelve… Derek, I was still in high school…”  
He doesn’t even wait for an answer. He peels back the last of the paper. Batman. First Edition SIGNED Batman Comic. The exact one that Stiles was pining over all of those years ago.  
“How did you know I wanted this? When… when did you get it?!” Stiles is so thrilled yet so confused.  
“How couldn’t I have known you wanted it? You talked about it constantly. Then, when you finally found it on Ebay, you started bidding on it in the middle of our Pack Meeting.” Derek runs a hand over his hair and sighs. When you went home that night, I logged on just to see how much you got it for. The listing wasn’t sold yet, and you had bid it up extremely high. I… I don’t even know why I did it… I knew you didn’t have that kind of money. How were you going to pay for it? So, I thought… If I got it for you…”  
“caltriski87. It was you! I was outbid at the last minute, and IT. WAS. YOU!”  
Derek shakes his head. “I immediately regretted it. We weren’t even friends. What reason would I ever come up with to explain why I got you a Christmas gift? I felt so stupid. But, then I changed my mind. I wrapped it and had it all ready.”  
“What happened?” Stiles rubs his thumb over the protective case. “Why didn’t you give it to me?”  
“We… No one came over for Christmas.” At Stiles’ kicked-puppy look, Derek adds to his statement. “Not like I expected anyone to! It wasn’t even like I wanted anyone to… But, then what was I supposed to do? I couldn’t just show up at your house and shove a gift at you. I didn’t think anything through… I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, so I chickened out and didn’t give it to you.” Derek looks like he’s about ready to smack his head into the table beside them. “Then, when I felt like I missed my chance, there wasn’t much I could do. I couldn’t just randomly give you a Christmas gift in April.”  
“It could have been a birthday gift…”  
“I kept it in a box in my closet all this time.”  
“You’re weird.”  
“Don’t judge me,” Derek play growls.  
Stiles ever so gently places the book down on the floor beside him. He sits up on his knees and wraps his arms around Derek. “I would have loved it then… But it means so much more now. Thank you. I love you, Derek. This feels crazy fast yet a long time coming, but I… I love you.”  
“I love you, too, Stiles.”

\---  
“Is sex on Christmas sacrilegious?” Stiles ponders aloud as Derek lays him softly on the plush covers on the bed. Derek shakes his head in bemusement before continuing to lean down and nibble at Stiles’ neck.  
“Shut up, Stiles.”  
“No, I need to know. We should Google it.”  
Derek growls when Stiles actually starts to move to get out of bed. “I swear, if you move…”  
“Babe, I don’t want to send my soul to hell for having sex with my boyfriend on Christmas.”  
Derek rolls his eyes. “You do realize what you just said, right? Remember that a large portion of people still think exactly that, whether it be Christmas or not…”  
Stiles waves his hands wildly in the air. “I don’t care what people think! I care about what God thinks! Like, would he be okay with us going at it on his birthday? Wouldn’t that be a little weird? Birthday sex on you own birthday is hott, but doing it on HIS birthday...” Stiles looks Derek straight in the eyes and reaches his hands up to hold onto the wolf’s scruffy cheeks. “I’m extremely conflicted right now.”  
Derek groans and heads off to take a shower.  
\---

An hour and a half into December 26th, Derek is taking a shower for a completely different reason. Thankfully there’s nothing wrong with Day-After-Christmas sex.

\---  
Derek and Stiles spend the entire day in bed save for a few excursions to the kitchen or bathroom. It’s amazing.  
Unfortunately, Stiles’ phone dies during that time, and he doesn’t get the dozens of worried messages from his friends and family.  
\---

Sheriff Stilinski and Melissa pull up in their driveway and race inside. The Stilinski abode looks and smells like it hasn’t been lived in for days. The fruit in the kitchen is molded and the mailbox is overflowing.  
Mr. Stilinski grabs his gun hidden under the foyer table and does a complete search of the house. Everything looks to be in place, but it is clear Stiles has been gone for a while.  
“I don’t understand. Stiles… He texted us and we talked on the phone three days ago. If something happened… why did he… how could he…”  
“John, calm down.” Melissa runs her hand over his shoulder. “I’m sure he’s fine. Scott has surely talked to him. We’ll head over to his house. They should have gotten home from the airport by now.”  
The couple head to the door and open it just in time to see Scott’s car screeching to a halt halfway up over the curb. Scott bursts out of his car and runs up to the front door.  
“Please tell me Stiles is here,” he gasps.  
The Sheriff pushes Melissa behind him as if to protect her from some unseen danger. “You don’t know where he is either?!”  
“I haven’t heard from him in four days. I’ve tried to call, but I never get an answer. I was getting really worried, but I was just hoping that his phone died or something.”  
Melissa pushes herself in front of her husband because she is a strong woman and can take care of herself thank you very much. “What’s the last thing you heard from him?”  
Scott looks at his mom with eyes full of worry. “We sent him a picture from our trip. He messaged back that… that Derek thought Madelyne was adorable and he agreed. I think… I think that’s the last… That’s the last I remember.”  
Sheriff Stilinski jogs to his car. “He mentioned Derek in one of our conversations, too. Maybe he can give us an idea…”  
The three worried family members arrive at Derek’s house in record time. The whole scene looks like something out of a horror movie. Well, maybe a sci-fi alternate reality is a better choice. The three cautiously pass the Christmas lights and snowman made out of California dirt and branches- no real snow in Beacon Hills. They burst through the door when they hear sounds of a struggle and a panicked squeal that can only belong to Stiles.  
“No, Derek, don’t you dare!”  
The Sheriff pulls his sidearm as they round the corner in the direction of the kitchen. They arrive just in time to see Derek swing the bag of flour and hit Stiles right in the face.  
“Ah!” he sputters as the white powder falls from his mouth. “How dare you!” Stiles grabs an egg and throws it square in the center of Derek’s chest. The floor, ceramic countertop, and cabinets are completely coated in baking supplies like an explosion has gone off. They both reach for the bag of sugar but stop when they realize they have an audience.  
“Woah, Dad, put the gun away.” Stiles wipes his dirty hands on his shirt. “Merry Christmas by the way.”  
The group looks at each other. The Sheriff slowly puts his gun away. “It’s December 27th.”  
Stiles’ face turns red, and he glances to his right where Derek is standing. “Oh wow, really? Well… time flies when you’re having fun.” He quickly closes the short distance between them and leans in to lick the powdered sugar off of Derek’s cheek. He giggles as Derek playfully growls.  
Derek grabs Stiles and throws him over his shoulder. He spins around and begins to walk toward the bedroom.  
Stiles raises his head up from his perfect view of Derek’s fine behind. He looks at his dad, stepmom, and best friend/brother. “Look at his BUTT!” He smacks it hard, and Derek pinches him in return. “That’s my butt. Derek’s butt is my butt. MINE! He’s all mine. His butt, his face, his abs… Someone come here and feel his abs…”  
Derek closes the bedroom door behind him and throws Stiles on the bed. Neither of them care that Stiles family is literally right outside the bedroom.  
“We’re literally like right here!” Scott yells loudly.  
The Sheriff breaks his stunned silence with “What did I just walk into?”  
“It’ll be okay, honey.” Melissa runs her fingers through the hair above the nape of his neck. “I’ve seen this coming for a while.”  
“What?” Scott asks in shock. “Really?”  
“It was obvious that they liked each other. They’ll be good to each other. Good for each other.”  
Sheriff Stilinski rubs his eyes. “I need another vacation.”  
When Scott whimpers, his mom and stepdad turn toward him. He covers his ears. “We need to go. We need to go. We need to go. Oh my gosh…” He hurries to the door. When an extra loud moan floats through the bedroom door, the parents quickly do the same.

\---

The next Christmas, Derek places Stiles’ gift under the tree a week early. The wait almost kills him, but Stiles makes it. He didn’t think anything could top his comic from last year, but the simple gold band is the most amazing gift he has received in his entire life. It holds the promise of a forever with the man that he loves. He can’t stop smiling as he shakes his head ‘yes’ and holds out his hand. Derek slides the ring on his fiancé’s finger before pulling him in for an amazing kiss. They celebrate by spending Christmas alone… together...


End file.
